RT Book, Section
A1 Maclin, Jeanine
A2 Kline, Mark W.
SR Print(0)
ID 1182907159
T1 Acute Abdominal Pain
T2 Rudolph's Pediatrics, 23e
YR 2018
FD 2018
PB McGraw-Hill Education
PP New York, NY
SN 9781259588594
LK accesspediatrics.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1182907159
RD 2024/04/20
AB Abdominal  pain  is  1  of  the  most  common  complaints  in  children,  accounting  for  approximately  15%  of  all  children  evaluated  in  pediatric  emergency  units.  Abdominal  pain  can  be  acute  and  sudden  in  onset  or  chronic  with  continual  or  intermittent  symptoms.  Most  episodes  of  pain  are  benign  and  are  usually  self-limited.  One  study  found  that  only  20%  of  all  children  evaluated  in  an  emergency  department  for  acute  abdominal  pain  required  surgical  intervention,  most  often  for  appendicitis.  Differentiating  abdominal  pain  that  requires  prompt  surgical  intervention  from  pain  due  to  nonsurgical  conditions  is  often  challenging,  especially  for  infants  and  younger  children.  The  evaluation  and  management  of  abdominal  pain  varies  depending  on  the  severity  and  character  of  the  pain,  associated  symptoms,  and  age  and  sex  of  the  child.  The  difficulties  in  diagnosis  can  be  reduced  by  considering  the  most  likely  diagnosis  based  on  the  child’s  age,  the  presence  of  associated  symptoms,  and  the  physical  examination.